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“It’s bad enough,” he growls, the anger rekindling now that Ophelia’s no longer on the phone.
A red cheek never killed anyone, but I accept the gesture with a sigh. “I’m going to hypothesize that you have a very possessive ex?”
He lowers himself to his ankles, but his hands remain in place. Dark brows lower over his stormy eyes. “Not usually.”
“Your business is your own, but if she lives around here and might see you with Ophelia, that could pose a problem.”
“She won’t be a problem.”
“Really? Because I told her we were just friends, and she still found reason to hit me.”
The sight of him sitting below me, face tilted skyward, and gray eyes regarding me has me wanting to slip off this chair and straight into his lap.
He draws dizzying circles on my knee. “We broke it off years before I even met you.”
“I would have thought you ended things last week with that reaction.”
“We dated for a couple of years. Casual at first and then more serious. She was adventurous back then. We liked road trips. She was even saving to purchase a van and wanted to document the experience.”
The details create an uneasy wave in my stomach. “What happened?”
“My mom’s illness progressed, and she needed me more. I no longer felt comfortable being far from home, so the dream was abandoned.”
The pieces aren’t adding up. “And she couldn’t handle that?”
He shakes his head. “She handled it quite well, actually. Too well. Instead of plans to travel the continental US, she daydreamed about us starting a family.”
“And you didn’t want kids,” I supply as fragments begin to fit.
“I was always clear I didn’t want kids. I’ve known that since I was eleven and my…my…” He severs our connection and drops his head. Heaving breaths lift his broad shoulders.
“You can tell me.” I cup the hand holding the ice against my cheek. He spreads his fingers, and I slip mine between his.
He wipes his face against his shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is I told her repeatedly I’d never have a family, and when she couldn’t accept that, it ended our relationship.”
Realization dawns. “And she saw me sitting with you all night and heard me tell Ophelia I’d find Daddy so she could say good night.”
“She has no reason to feel betrayed and absolutely no excuse to hit you.”
“No, she doesn’t.” I shake my head, dislodging our hands and the ice pack. “But she does deserve an explanation from you.”
His brows lift over furious eyes. “How can you say that when she assaulted you?”
“Because I’ve made plans to spend the rest of my life with someone before, and if I stumbled upon a similar scenario. I’d be hurt too.” My trembling hand instinctively searches out the vial around my neck. “Let her know it wasn’t intentional.”
“She should be apologizing to you,” he argues.
“I hope she does someday. But I’d rather you clear the air now before risking the chance she might actually run into the two of you in public. If Ophelia has to witness a scene, I might be the one not keeping my limbs in check.”
He squeezes my knee. “I might not like it, but you make a valid point.”
“I’m pretty smart.”
Dane runs his free hand through his disheveled hair. “I’m sorry your relaxing night took a turn.” He hooks a crooked thumb beneath my chin and tilts my face. “How’s your cheek?”
His visual inspection moves like a tender caress. “It’s fine.”
“Good.” He withdraws his hand. “What do you say? One more drink to salvage the evening, or are you ready to call it a night?”
The question requires no consideration from me.
“The bartender better pour me another.”
